A wind farm developer has revealed it will appeal if its bid to build 16 turbines is turned down by a council next week.

Denbighshire’s planning committee has already rejected Windpower Wales’ application to build 16 turbines, each 100m tall, next to the current Tir Mostyn site near Llyn Brenig.

They have also turned down a bid by Tegni Cymru Cyf to erect 13 turbines on the outskirts of Nantglyn.

However, local authority officers decided to refer the applications to full council, who meet on Tuesday, after being warned that costs could be awarded against the council if either company appealed against refusal to the Welsh Assembly and won.

Now Windpower Wales director Eryl Vaughan has revealed his firm will make a challenge if the full council decide to turn down the application.

In a press statement he said: “We hope that, as our proposal fits squarely in local and national policies, has the support of Denbighshire County Council’s own professional advisors and of many residents, that councillors see fit to consent the project.

“We would far rather this matter could be concluded at local level and we’re sure the Council would prefer not to go through the appeal procedure with its inherent costs either.”

Nantglyn resident Jane Yorke claimed however that the possible financial cost to the local authority was overshadowed by a greater, environmental cost.

“There has been almost no mention on the other hand of the guaranteed costs to the county if these developments do go ahead in lost tourism, flood defence/damage costs, rate reduction and potential litigation against the county for all manner of potential problems associated with these developments,” she said.

“We need to get real, reduce energy consumption and drop these high profile, expensive and pointless wind farm developments. The residents of Nantglyn and the surrounding area will fight on.”

TAN 8 (Technical Advice Note 8), guidelines produced by the Welsh Assembly state that within a Strategic Search Area the implicit aim is to accept wind farm developments in spite of physical changes to the countryside.

But county council cabinet member Paul Marfleet, also a Nantglyn resident, claimed TAN 8 needed to be reviewed.

He said: “We are heading for a major environmental calamity in Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government issued TAN 8 to local planning authorities. They consulted on it but ignored all the consultation.”

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